patrick "mojo shivers" t.'s Profile

I've had Peruvian food before and I can honestly say I've enjoyed the many times I've been to Peruvian restaurants before.  Inka Grill is no different.  I think they have a wide selection of dishes that all are delicious.

I just think that I had the misfortune to choose a dish that I wasn't all that impressed with so my coloring of the place is a little muddy.  I've had Chicken with Rice before at my favorite Peruvian place and I guess I was expecting it to be more like that.  Instead what I got was only average.  If that's all I was basing this rating on my score would be lower.

However, I fully intend to go back and see how much more my opinion of them goes up upon sampling another offering.

I've decided I'm not a fan of family-style restaurants.  Everyone at the same table eating the exact same thing at the same time?  Smacks of Communism, if you ask me.

This isn't a slight specifically against Great Seafood Harbor, but it was in going there recently that I realized that family-style meals live or die on the quality of the dishes ordered.  With a regular dinner, everyone can order what they want and be happy (or unhappy) according to the individual merit of their dishes.  Also, when somebody gets a bad meal at least there is another which can salvage something of the experience.  However, with a family-style meal everyone lives or dies the same.

If it's a great meal, that's great.  However, if it's a so-so meal like it was at Great Seafood Harbor then everyone suffers.  I just would've liked some option to order a dish on my own instead of being compelled to order huge honking plates of food that I had no hope of finishing on my own.  I don't know what's good at this restaurant.  I don't want to be locked into an assembly of average dishes when there's a good chance that what I wanted on my own would've raised the meal to a whole other level.

Again, I don't blame Great Seafood Harbor.  I blame the system of ordering large portions for large parties, treating the masses as faceless and nameless automatons, instead of respecting individuality and people's right to choose what they ingest.  Life's too short to be forced to eat underwhelming meals.

I like it when places know what they're good at.  Stout definitely knows how to make a mean burger--tasty, good-sized portion, and just enough creativity to be original and not strange.  I had the Morning After, which is their take on the classic cheddar cheeseburger with a fried egg on top.  What made it a truly special experience was the rosemary bacon and the chipotle ketchup.  That's all that burger is--every taste had its place and they had a place for every taste.  When a restaurant does their job right they don't have to pile on the sauces, ingredients, or prepare it in some special way.

I also like the selection of beers at Stout.  It's not the largest beer menu I've ever seen, but each of the three selections I had was quite on the money quality-wise.  Everything paired well with the food and they were all brought in a timely manner.

What can I say?  I like Stout, even if it's small and crowded.  I don't care it's noisy or that the wait sometimes stretches out for a spell.  Good food, good service, and especially good beer all go a long way to quelling any discomfort before the meal.  Stout knows how to make a great burger and they know how to treat their customers--that's the best recommendation I can give anyone on the fence about this place.

After starving for a couple of hours in Hollywood I stopped into Huston's for a quick bit to eat.  Not only was the pulled pork sandwich savory, but it was a decent size too.  If all the bbq on their menu is this delicious I can see myself stopping in for another bite someday.  The only problem I found was their drink sizes were a bit sketchy and refills are definitely not free.  Not only do they overcharge for a 12 oz. drink, but I was kind of rebuffed when I asked why their sizes were so small.

It might just be me, but bad service goes a long way to souring me on a place, just as good service makes up for a lot of faults.  If it weren't for the attitude of the owners and staff I would be recommending this place more.

It's not often you find a local burger joint that can handle burgers and peruvian style chicken dinners, but this place can.  Not only was I impressed with their patty melt--always a highlight of a greasy spoon such as Rod's--but the sampling of their char-broiled chicken with tortillas and fries was amazing.  All that was missing was the characteristic green sauce you find at places that serve chicken this good.

I don't know--it's often a mistake to expect too much out of the mom-and-pop burger places that dot the Southern California landscape.  However, I always seem to find jewels in the rough when you dare to stray out of your comfort zone.  Normally I would have been happy ordering the usual burger, fries, and coke.  But when a place offers up peruvian chicken or a different take on chili cheese fries, or, hell, just shows off their uniqueness in putting something different on the menu I'm always game for it.  Then, when they show that they can be different and execute on their promises of culinary excellence I'm more than willing to come back to see how else they can dazzle.

I'm also more than willing to sing their praises here on Yelp.

It's all about the mac n' cheese here.  It's a pretty decent representation of how mac n' cheese is supposed to be--with a delightful upper crust that can only come from being browned in the oven, chicken, and a hint of beer in the cheese.  I would come back here just for that.

As for the rest of the menu, it isn't anything you can find at any other brewery.  Truth be told, I thought their menu was rather limited.  I know a lot of restaurants like to streamline their offerings to simplify their kitchens.  I also applaud when restaurants know their forte and put forth only their best offerings, giving a much-needed identity to their establishment.  However, I also think that if you don't have a signature style you need to do your best to give your guests a variety from which to choose from. I mean--I like their mac n' cheese--but unless they want to experiment with other similar items it makes their menu seem like a one-trick pony.

Either that or they need another dish to distinguish themselves in some way.  Their beers are nothing special.  Their atmosphere is nothing special.  Because of that I find it hard to recommend them above all the other simply awesome restaurants in the area.

I've always appreciated it when authors place their favorite restaurants or local bars in their books.  The Rula Bula in the Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne remains one of those must-eat-at places simply because it's mentioned in all three books.  My rationale is that it must be great if an author goes out of his way to mention it in his books like that.  I've also always had a hankering to find a fish and chips place nearby that was so delicious that I would want to include in a novel, were I to write one.

Mac's may just be that place.  Sure, it might be all the way in Santa Barbara, but such a distance is a pittance when you can have a dish of fish and chips this awesome.  Not only is it everything all the reviewers make it out to be, but it's probably the finest example of it I have ever had in my life.  Not only was the breading not soggy or thick, but it was just the right amount of crispy and thickness.  The fish was fresh.  The one thing you can always tell is when the fish has been lingering around the shop for a few days or, worse yet, coming out of a freezer.  The chips were actually chips, thick-cut and more like nuggets of potato than mundane fries.

Everything came together so well, I'm amazed more places can't live up to the standard.  How hard can it be to have fresh fish cooked in a simple batter and served with chips that a ten-year-old could make?  I don't know--maybe that's what makes Mac's Fish and Chip Shop such a rarity, that they take the time to do it right every time.  And as long as good chip shops are this rare I'm going to be hitting up Mac's every time I'm near Santa Barbara.

Whenever I go visit my parents in Fallbrook it usually falls to them to find a good place for us to share dinner.  When they took me here I didn't know what to expect.  As much as I enjoy the back to nature cabin atmosphere, it usually hasn't turned out for the best when I go to something so rural.  I had heard they made a mean prime rib, but I had my doubts.

I'm glad that I didn't reserve judgement, though.  Rainbow Oaks Restaurant turned out pretty decent.  The steak I had was great.  I'm not a huge fan of charring meat, but the process they used here was understated and didn't leave the burnt feeling in my mouth that I usually despise in other places of this kind.  The sides were great and their menu seemed extensive.

It's not going to replace a Lawry's or Ruth's Chris as my idea of a steakhouse, but it's certainly a viable option for whenever I'm visiting my parents.  And I give it extra points for not being pretentious and still serving good food.  I would much rather eat at a place that spends its time and effort on making their fare fantastic rather than trying to make their decor upscale.  I love the diner mentality.  I love places that the locals hold onto as their little 'ole secret and this seems like that type of place.

As aforementioned, I'm not the biggest fan of Asian food.  Sit me down at a Pei Wei and I'm a happy man.  I don't go for Japanese places that strive to be 100% authentic.  I just want my rice and my meats, or sushi, and you can pretty much keep the rest of the menu away from me.

Honda Ya was alright, and I did have a good time, but I feel that was more due to the atmosphere than the food itself.  I think it's a great place to meet people and share a bite.  I would not consider it my go-to Japanese place if someone were to ask me for a recommendation.

Duck and short ribs are normally meats you don't find on a taco unless you're eating at a food truck, but Taco Asylum breaks this rule.  The duck taco was an amazing find, full of interesting flavors and a myriad of textures to delight the palate and tongue.  The short rib taco was good too, but I found it too much sticking to its Mexican roots to be well worth going out of my way to this particular taco place.  I believe it will be an interesting time my next time back to try out the rest of their eclectic menu.

If you're looking for something different or just don't feel like chasing down your local taco truck, you could do a lot worse than Taco Asylum to fulfill your unique cravings.  Their beer selection is pretty decent.